Rocker assemblies are provided between the front and rear wheel wells and below the doors of a vehicle to provide resistance to intrusion into the passenger compartment in side impact collisions. Rocker assemblies may include an outer rocker panel that is joined to a side sill. Various reinforcements have been proposed to strengthen rocker assemblies.
Electric vehicles may be provided with an underfloor mounted battery that powers an electric traction motor. Batteries for a hybrid electric vehicle may be attached between a central tunnel and the rocker assembly on both sides of the vehicle. Space is provided around the underfloor battery pack to reduce the potential for plastic deformation of the battery pack. If the rocker assembly is too soft it may provide inadequate protection from intrusion in side impact collisions.
Batteries for hybrid electric vehicles may be damaged internally by an impact. The battery pack may be damaged in a collision if the impact causes an acceleration spike, in particular, if the acceleration spike is of longer duration. If the rocker assembly is too rigid, acceleration of the battery caused by a side impact may create a longer spike of substantial duration and may cause damage to internal battery connections.
This disclosure is directed to solving the above problems and other problems as summarized below.